Free legal advice for the bay area all thanks to a Pinellas Co. woman with a dream

10th Annual LawFest this Saturday

12:23 PM, Oct 21, 2013

1:17 PM, Oct 21, 2013

For a decade, Teresa Lassiter, known around Pinellas County as "Momma T," has been making the "LawFest" a reality.

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(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - For a decade, Teresa Lassiter, known around Pinellas County as "Momma T," has been making the "LawFest" a reality.

It's a community event that allows people to gather and get free legal advice from dozens of lawyers in many different areas of law. Momma T started the program back in 2003 with St. Pete Mayor Bill Foster.

Back then, Foster was not the mayor, but an attorney, willing to help the 50-something Momma-T on her crusade to lend a legal helping-hand to all those people who have asked for her help through the years.

"It's a place where, whatever you thinking about doing, or whatever you're going through, its like a fix-it shop," said Momma T. "I believe if you give the people the information and the resources and let them know where they can go, they can deal with a lot of their day-to-day issues."

The LawFest has grown tenfold through the years, with dozens of attorneys slated to be at this year's event, and it's all because of Momma T.

She says she knows what it's like to struggle, to need the assistance of others to get on your feet. She's a diabetic, former drug addict, and even had multiple heart attacks. All of that while caring for her four children and four grandchildren.

She told us all about the trials, tribulations and triumphs of her life from her big brown "Prayer Chair" as she calls it. She says she knows she was put on this earth for a reason.

Pinellas County Circuit Court Judge Michael Andrews, who has been with the program for the past eight years, agrees.

"A lot of times, folks need legal assistance and a lot of times they don't even know what their issue is," says Judge Andrews. "They just know they have a problem and they need a lawyer to help them solve it."

Problems about 30 attorneys will be helping to address this Saturday. Problems that will get fixed, all because of one woman, and her dream to be the light others need.

"I do what I do," says Momma T. "It's not about me. It's about helping people."